Top Republican Calls for H-1B Reform

In a special hearing held by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) called for reform of the H-1B Visa program. “There seems little doubt that federal policies and regulations have played a large role in hampering growth,” said Issa, who referred specifically to the H-1B Visa Cap in his speech.

"Five years ago, Bill Gates and many others warned of the negative impact of strict caps on H-1B visas for technology workers on U.S. technology companies, with a commensurate positive effect on the high-tech industries in other countries, like China and India," said Issa.

Issa isn’t the only Republican to voice support for changing H-1B regulations. Last month U.S. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) also called for an increase in the amount of H-1B visas available per year.

USCIS Posts Number of FY 2012 H-1B Petitions Received

The first information about petitions submitted for the Fiscal Year 2012 H-1B program has just been posted by USCIS and, as expected, the amount of petitions received by the federal agency are low. As was seen last year, only a small handful of companies have submitted requests for highly skilled workers under the H-1B program. As of April 7, 2011, a total of 5,900 petitions have been received for the regular cap program and 4,500 petitions have been received for the H-1B Master’s Exemption category.

A total of 65,000 H-1B visas are available each year, according to current federal regulations. USCIS has also receipted 20,000 H-1B petitions for foreign workers with advanced degrees, leaving no additional available visa under that exemption.

Technology Companies Speak to Congress about H-1B/Green Card Reform

Last week, a number of high-tech companies were given the opportunity to speak to Congress about the H-1B visa program. In the meeting, representatives from various companies spoke about the importance of the H-1B program to technological companies in the U.S. and a few additionally made the case for easing the process to obtain green cards as opposed to changing H-1B regulations.

"These two groups don't agree on everything.... They see the IT benefit of permanent residents as key," said former Rep. Bruce Morrison (D-CT), who testified on behalf of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The American Council on International Personnel also shared its perspective in a statement that said: “American employers need an immigration system that includes both temporary and permanent visas as well as a timely, consistent and predictable process.”